Customer Reviews

Phar Lap

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I knew I was in trouble the moment I saw the cover of this book with the beautiful chestnut horse named Phar Lap. I knew I just had to have this book. I knew because I had seen the movie, Phar Lap, years ago and had fallen in love with this incredibly beautiful and gifted animal that had a heart and soul big enough to affect those that loved him and those that knew him from afar.

This beautifully crafted book does not disappoint as it unravels the life and mysterious death of this beloved racehorse while revealing a darker side of greed and jealousy that surrounded him.

Filled with incredible black & white photos and memorabilia, this book will draw you in and keep you there. It will amaze you, it will disturb you but it will always remind you of the winning spirit and courageous heart that was Phar Lap. A name you will never forget...

This is about the paperback edition.

I knew some about Phar Lap before I read the book. So when I found it, I was really thrilled to get to know more of this amazing horse's story.

Unfortunately, the writers seem to get lost in talk about odds, betting, backstage deals, dark figures of the turf and so forth, instead of telling us about Phar Lap himself, how his life was and how his races went. That is, I think it's interesting to get to know some about the dark sides of the sport and the betting and things. But I got the impression that the story about the horse faints to the background.

I never got the feeling of "having been there" while Phar Lap lived and raced. The writers never brought me close up to the horse, they didn't get me into the story.
Compared to Secretariat by Nack or Man O'War by Cooper and Treat, for instance, this book seems to lack the passion about its protagonist which is a real pity.

I did like the chapter about the analysis of Phar Lap's death, though. I felt relieved, as odd as it sounds, to get to know the possible reason of his death. I feel better now that I know why this great horse died and that there was nothing that could have been done for him given the absence of veterinarian knowlegde at the time about his disease. I also appreciated the end of the book, namely the chapter intitulated "By Night Raid out of Entreaty". This should have been the first chapter of the book because it tells us where this great horse Phar Lap came from.

I can't really recommend this book but am aware that someone like me who just wants to know more will still buy it. So be it, Phar Lap sure deserves it :-)

This book was never written to be a novel it is meant to be factual history of Big Red and the race scene at the time and it shows our Australian Culture at the time of the Great Depression which is when the he raced, how desperate people were for money and also the snobbery that was part of the AJC and VRC in Australia. The photos were of particular interest as a lot of them haven't been seen by people who never saw him race (like myself).
The final listing of his all of the races he ran and amount of stakes money that he won in the Depresssion was also enlightening. The mind just boggles if he was alive and racing today with the prize money that is around.

The chapter that was devoted to his death finally explained to the world and particularly Australia what happened to this great horse and the sad fact that the veterinary practices at the time couldn't have saved him.

This book for me is a collectable and will be an heirloom. The picture on the front cover has been taken where he finally stands in the Melbourne Museum, where he is the most visited display in the Museum.

What a wonderful book - great photos and narrative. It fully explained what was probably the reason for his untimely death. This book will someday be a collector's item, but I won't part with it!

This book is well and clearly written, and includes everything you might want to know about Phar Lap. Exhaustively researched and a true pleasure to read!

FANTASTIC!!! It was amazing!!!
Everything that you want too know is in this book!!!
I LOVE Pharlap and anything too do with him!!! So read Phar Lap as soon as you can it ROCKS!!!

Phar - Lap is one of my favorite racehorses, but I have to agree with some of the other people on here.....It is hard to get into. Not very well written. have to force myself to read it.

The book was excellent reading about the wonderful Pharlap, but I had wished it had gotten more into the personal details then with the racing stats. The writers shed great detail into the true cause of Pharlap's death. Pharlap was one of a kind and all horse lovers should absolutely read this book.

Phar Lap is still considered one of the best, if not the finest Thoroughbred champion from Australia.

The book is an outstanding history of the racer and the impact he made in Australia and the potential career he made have had in the United States. Phar Lap died under mysterious circumstances before his scheduled debut in the U.S.

There has been controversy swirling over his death in the U.S. and there were those who felt Phar Lap was poisoned deliberately, though it was ruled then by natural causes. A 2006 necropsy - obviously not in this edition of the book - revealed that he was poisoned through a high-level of arsenic.

Phar Lap - nicknamed "Big Red" - was bred in New Zealand and grew to be slightly over 17 hands tall. He captured 37 of the 51 races and was not highly regarded as a juvenile; being bought at auction for a small price due to his pedigree.

But from the humble beginning came a legend who certainly can be compared with two other racers who carried the "Big Red" tag; Man o' War and Secretariat.

This book is excellent. Although printed in 2000, this book arrived in pristine condition, as promised. The story of Phar Lap's career and untimely death is described beautifully. The pictures in the book are a great bonus. I wish the owner(s) of the film rights would produce a DVD that is compatible with US DVD players.